Was it my birthday, packing to move, my parents arrival, having a baby, more packing, traveling from Oregon, adjusting to the baby, or setting up in AR that made me get behind? No really what was it! HA! I am working on one big catch up post and hopefully I will have it up later this week.
We hope everyone is great!!!
...to a coveted destination? Well possibly, if you consider Oregon one of the places you must visit! ;)
Continued from the last post mainly in pictures. We have been some busy travelers. A recap of our first few months.... We visited Whoodoo Hoo resort, Silver Falls, the Capitol, Lincoln City beach, Driftwood Covered Bridge, Meadows resort, Mt Bachelor, Meadows resort, Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, have taken several trips to Portland - outdoor show, rv show, a trip to AR, San Francisco, and Mt St. Helens.
As always, winter brings snowboarding season which is a HUGE, very important, must happen every weekend, kind of deal in our "house". We both love it! I decided I would snowboard this year as long as I felt up to it. I have to admit the first time we went the conditions were not the best..so I only boarded once. I didn't think I would be nervous however, I was. I was in the midst of a migraine cycle and I just didn't feel comfortable. NOT in my ability, (oh no) the ability of others! ;) You really just have no idea when someone is going to come at you out of control. You have to be on constant guard to move out of the way or those silly kids (adults) will slam into you. It was a good thing I was cautious b/c I was greeted by a fantastic migraine while at the resort.
So yes, I snowboarded 6 months pregnant. 
We hiked in Silver Falls state park. We hiked the 8 mile loop and took in the breathtaking waterfalls. It was beautiful, amazing, etc!
We spent a weekend exploring downtown Salem and the capitol.
We found out Nugget is a boy
We drove over to the coast and played with the dogs on the beach in Lincoln City. I knew the beaches would be rocky and gorgeous however, I was amazed at all the colors. We saw starfish, muscles, rocks, and more!
visited Driftwood Covered Bridge
We spent a Sunday at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival and it did not disappoint. The flowers were beautiful and apparently due to all the rain, it was not even up to its normal standards. We tromped around in the mud, played in the fields, looked at old farm equipment, and listened to music. As you can see..the babies enjoyed the day as well! 
We have been to Portland several times involving: shopping, an rv show, trips to Ikea (Daniel's fav), a visit with Rebecca while she was in town, horse races, a huge sportsman show, and to see KyLee before she left for bootcamp.
I made a trip to AR for LP's wedding back in April. I really wanted Daniel to go but with the cost of a flight, it just didn't make sense to only go for a weekend. I was able to go for an extended period of time and it was so nice. 
Michael and Lauren, were married the first weekend in April. They are a great couple and I am so glad I was able to travel to their wedding. Lauren was a very beautiful bride, and everything about her wedding was gorgeous. I also enjoyed getting to spend time with Shannon, Cassie, and Rebecca. It had been a year since..but that is part of living on the road. Cassie was expecting as well and now has a 2 month old baby girl. It was exciting to see her with a baby bump! Congratulations!!!
I knew with this trip this would be the last time I would be at my parents' house before baby arrives. I enjoyed being in my room, laying on the couch, playing with the doggies, spending time with mama looking at baby stuff, and helping my dad around the land. I kept thinking the next time I am "home" I will have a baby! My parents kept reminding me and I thought it was so cute! I remember feeling the same way before Daniel and I got married..this is the last time I will be at here as a single lady! I was so excited then and I am so excited now!!!! :)
While in town I was able to meet up with several friends. I was able to see Andrea and Marshall, Kerryanne, Alta, Jennifer, and many many family friends. I loved catching up with everyone and we miss all of you already! Its so hard when we make it to AR (even more now being in OR) as I always want to see so many. I have to make myself relax or I spend the entire time in town rushing to see everyone! Point here is it always warms my heart to get to spend time with people I hold so close and re-energizes me to come back and know that people heart us and us and our gypsy lifestyle! Living on the road and not meeting anyone is a little harder in some locations than others (ie Oregon). Not to stereotype however, some of the west coast folks are missing out on the southern charm! :) Y'all agree? I say this with with warmness in my heart..but it is true! I also got to see this little guy as well..
Shortly after my trip, it was time to decide where we wanted to head next. It just made logical sense to stay in Oregon until the baby arrives. We decided Daniel needed a vacation and San Francisco was our destination! We drove down the 101 and headed through the Redwood Forest! It was amazing and highly recommended!!! 
Our plan for San Francisco was to hit up all the big attractions as well as, simply relax. We experienced the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, China Town, Japan Town, Fisherman's Warf and Sea Lions, Cable Cars, Painted Ladies, Lombard Street, AT&T Park, USS Pampantio, Golden Gate Park, Lands End, Coit Tower, and Napa Valley on the way back.
We were lucky enough to meet Rebecca for dinner on our last night for some yummy seafood. It was great to see you!!!
Since the arrival of the baby is getting close and our time here (might be) less than a month we made a point to visit Mt. Saint Helens and do a little hiking. The mountain is amazing and the history is very interesting. We learned a lot! We were both surprised that due to all the snow this year only 1/4 of the mountain was open for driving. Yes that is right folks..you can still ski and snowboard on the mountains around us!
I know what you really came for! We finally had nice weather and I was able to get a few shots at 34 weeks! I am glad I took advantage because it has been back to rain since then! I am now 36 weeks and hopefully the weather will cooperate again before the little guy arrives! 
Daniel has been super busy with work and is still on track to graduate early! He is so ready for a break! I could not be a prouder wife! He is spending his free time starting to train for a race sometime this winter as well as, practicing with Hershey. We have a big dock diving competition coming up next weekend in Albany, OR. Baby girl is ready and says she is going to win again! Go TEAM PK!!! Happy Father's Day Daniel..I know we are off to the dog park or to hike at the falls this afternoon! You are a great dog dad and I know will be a fantastic daddy! LOVES! :)
And finally a Happy Father's Day to my daddy! You are the best dad a girl could ask for..funny, serious, teacher, role model, loves the outdoors, knows life lessons are important, offers advice but always willing to just listen, and an amazing friend! I love you!! 
We hope everyone is doing great and staying cool! If you are looking for a cool place right now..Oregon is it! Today's high is 70 and as you have read it has a lot to offer! :) Now, I think I have updated you with current and past happenings. We plan to stay busy busy until we leave..and that doesn't even include the arrival of little guy! Let us know what is going on with you!
Hugs-
Melissa and Daniel
Happy Mother's Day to my mama! You are the best mommy a girl could as for! I can only hope that I will be as strong, patient, loving, caring, understanding, and as good of a best friend and teacher as you have been to me. I love you!!!
To my mother-in-law...thank you for raising a great son. He loves you more than you know and can't wait for you to meet our little nugget!
First I need to say happy anniversary to J and J
and to Ben and Ann!
Also a very happy birthday to my mama!
We love all of you very much and hope each one of you had a special day!!!!!
So back up to late January....
The day we were to hit the road - Saturday - I hardly slept that night and woke up at 4 am with extreme morning sickness. YEA! This set the tone for the trip although we had no idea!
We started the day at 5am final packing, organizing, and hooking up. We discovered we were missing an integral part as we were about to pull onto the road. This made us drive very slowly as I didn't have lights on my trailer. It was still dark but more importantly the fog was so dense I couldn't see Daniel right in front of me. We knew we had to drive to the next town in hopes that the Supercenter was 24 hours and carried the part we needed. Our only other option was to wait until 8 am when we assumed the "other stores" would open. Of course WM didn't carry the adapter but Auto Zone came through! Morning sickness had set in full force just about the time we were getting back on the interstate. Since I was not feeling well, to me it felt like we drove and drove and drove! We were moving along and experienced a blow out on the 5th wheel complete with extensive damage. 
Poor baby girl is now missing a few teeth! We took off the tire cover so it wouldn't rip off in the wind. We stopped in the next town and bought 3 new tires as we had just purchased 1 on Friday.
We owe a big thank you to Discount Tire Company in Amarillo, TX, for helping us get back onto the road quickly! So here we go 4 new tires..nothing else can go wrong! I was to the point now of a full blown migraine and hopes of nothing else going wrong. Daniel and I both strive for the impossible! I panicked as Daniel pulled over again to the side of the interstate. We were about an hour from being to Albuquerque where we were going to spend the night. Then he said the words I hated to hear..."I heard a pop and a truck won't move." At that point I was loosing my cool! Side note to add a little detail, just before Christmas he spoke those same words and it was pricey!!! We were able to make it to a truck stop (which was closed), get off the interstate, and call a tow truck. Almost two hours later they arrived to haul the truck and 5th wheel to a Ford dealership. 
Neither Daniel or I had confidence in the ability of the tow truck company as drivers and dispatch called us several times to ask about the weight and length of our rig and their concerns. I get that its a big load and luckily Daniel knows about this sort of stuff..because otherwise we would still be answering questions! Daniel and I headed toward hotel only to get on the interstate and sit in traffic for two hours! We were both exhausted and went straight to bed.
The next day we were at a loss on what to do. We knew the truck would not be fixed that day as it was a Sunday. We decided to spend the day resting and planned on getting back on the road Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Luckily some sort of tube blew off, the fix was fathomable, and not going to break the bank but we still were not happy. We again owe a huge thank you to the Ford dealership in Rio Rancho, NM. They put us at the beginning of the line, discounted the labor, secured our truck and 5th wheel for 2 days and nights, and made sure we were back on the road as fast as possible. It warms my heart and shows the good when people really want to help us we become helpless on the road.
We got back on the road Monday afternoon and headed towards Durango, Co. We arrived in town at sun down and had dinner at a great Irish pub. Before leaving town the next day we went back to old town and walked around to do some quick sightseeing.
We were back on the road around noon on Tuesday with our sights set on Salt Lake City, UT. The day was adventure free with no real excitement but continued driving through the mountains. 
Wednesday we drove to Boise, ID, crossed the 45th Parallel twice, and Thursday we arrived in Salem, OR. We were both completely exhausted from the first day of adventure of our trip and never truly recovered the entire trip. This trip confirmed our ritual of staying in hotels when we travel to a new location as at the end of the day the last thing we want to do is set up our "home."
Friday we set out in search of a park a task that is always interesting. We find places on line and then set out to give them the real inspection upon arrival. We found a nice park with lots of grass and concrete pads. I mean who could ask for more..right?!?! HA! We have realized we have high expectations and do not like to settle for anything less! We typically face some sort of pressure, questioning, and receive an in-dept talk about quiet hours, no partying, and an explanation of rules when we arrive at a new park. We know that this is because of our age..but seriously we aren't going to bother Grannie and do not listen to loud music at midnight! HA! Most parks think that if you are our age you must be party people 24-7 and are going to cause a ruckus! We finally found a place to live and are continuing to deal with nonsense due to our age. After talking to a few other younger couples they have experienced the same sort of stuff. Regardless of the park, I know some of the older people spend their days looking out the windows and "figuring" out your life! We have seen the drama, heard about it, and do not want to experience it!!!
On another note...Daniel is really enjoying this rotation and everyone he works with. We found an amazing doctor and I adore her! The migraines are still so so but baby Nugget is doing great! He is healthy, growing, moving all over, and I can't believe I am 29 weeks! We are starting to get into preparation phase. YEA!!! As I mentioned previously, we resigned for another 3 months. If all goes as planned little Nugget will be born here and then we are off to another location. Don't get me wrong it is gorgeous..but March was the fifth wettest month in history and April has been the second wettest. It has rained every day and so far we are about 11 degrees below normal on temperature. I know May is only a few days away but it was 39 this morning! No matter what Oregon will always be a special part of our lives..In the first few weeks here:
I snowboarded 6 months pregnant we hiked in Silver Fallsexplored downtown and the capitolwe found out Nugget is a boy
we played on the beach in Lincoln City,visited a covered bridge
and much more!
Many more memories to come.... snowboarding, Portland, a trip for a wedding, and vacation in San Francisco. Of course I will post a few pictures of our 4 legged babies for those of you that enjoy them!
We hope everything is great with each of you and I PROMISE to be better about blogging. I have made a commitment to myself and since I am feeling better it should be easier! When Nugget arrives I know the grandparents, aunts, uncles, family, and friends will be brutal on me! ;) I have been informed we will Skype and I must blog often!!
Hugs
Melissa and Daniel
I asked: "Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Why did I let the blog go for this long?"
It replied : "I have no idea!"
Daniel in the background: "Well I have been asking you every day..."
Thanks guys! Update on the move and the first three months in Oregon coming soon. Just in case the anticipation is getting you, we just resigned for another rotation in "The Wet Foot State!"
We had the BIG ultrasound today and found out we are having a BOY! I told Daniel on our way to the hospital I have been getting more excited over the past few days. I thought I might bust if we had to wait any longer!
Everything looks great and he is an active one!! During the ultrasound, the tech kept trying to get him to flip over and he would just arch his back up as if he was throwing a big fit. She also noticed he kept opening his mouth like he was yelling for her to stop. Throughout the ultrasound he was making a fist shaking motion then would shove his hand in his mouth! She said "Oh it looks like this one will have an attitude!" Uh oh! The tech also said multiple times he is a pretty baby. Every time she would take a measurement or picture she would say "Wow this baby has a pretty profile, pretty heart, lips, kidneys, brain, feet, head etc. Pretty baby." Needless to say it was a fun experience.
We also got a good laugh because apparently he was being a boy. You know hands in that area as well as , scratching his bottom. Folks, I think we have a feisty one on our hands!
Everyone has been so excited and we are again overwhelmed by all the thoughtful messages. All we can say is thank you! We are just so happy to be having a healthy baby! Apparently most people thought we were having a boy. All today I have been thinking if he is anything like Daniel..goodness! He is the master of injuries!
Lots of love and hugs to each of you!!!
I feel the need to post about the holidays, traveling, and our last weeks in Wichita Falls. Then I can move onto the epic trip to Oregon that almost did us in and first weeks in "the valley."
Daniel and I have decided that we can't do anything easily. A trip to visit family for the holidays would not be complete without having to pack up the 5th wheel and take it into a dealership for some "work." We always seem to have work/ repairs done at the most convenient time! Each time we go through the process of hearing "Well we may not be able to get parts over the holidays, the factory has shut down. The turn around time is usually 2-3 weeks but with the holidays we just don't know. How about you pay upfront for the part and we will reimburse you." We have learned over the past 3 years, because we are young, we will hear this nonsense again and again and we know the game. So with our "education" to tell the dealership exactly what we want as well as, a time frame and through many phone calls it always seems to work out. This holiday season we were getting a new refrigerator installed only to discover that our bedroom slide has mechanical issues. No these two don't go together but we always uncover a new little issue! Two days before we were due to leave Daniel calls me to say the truck won't "go" and he is on the side of the interstate! YEA! A few thousand dollars later we were able to pack up, drop off the 5th wheel, and head out for an undetermined amount of time for the holidays. We were not sure how long we would be gone as D's company "messed up" on his holiday vacation.
We got to my grandmother's house in Dallas late on Christmas eve eve. We were both so glad to do laundry, spread out, wrap presents, finish up Christmas shopping, and not deal with anything related to the 5th wheel. Christmas as usual was great! I must have been a good girl again this year because my family made me the proud owner of the long lusted SLR camera complete with extra lenses! WOW! Thank you everyone and as expected paparazzi sprung right into action! ;) We had an amazing time visiting with family, loving on Connor, and relaxing. Thank you all so much for the wonderful presents!
Daniel and I headed to Austin on Christmas night to prepare for a celebration with his family. We had another great Christmas celebration and were able to get in quality time with the entire family. We met the newest addition to the family..little Jacob. I think everyone enjoyed watching me squirm holding a 2 week old. All the kids are at such a fun age and we enjoy watching them have so much fun!! Thank you for the wonderful Christmas presents! We appreciate all of you so much!
Boles Family
We also made a quick trip out the lake to close up the cabin for the winter. It was so cold...we were only there for a few hours. I wanted to so much to feel the heat of the summer and jump in the water. No such luck!
It soon became time for the trip to Oregon. We had planned to leave early on a Saturday morning and arrive on Monday. This schedule would allow for Daniel to rest on Tuesday and start the new rotation on Wednesday. I will say in advance ..it didn't go as planned. Stay tuned.....
